Those who oppose abortion are in the majority

Those who oppose abortion are in the majority
EDITOR:
I would like to respond to the letter of June 15 claiming that Ohio H.B. 228 (a bill being introduced to ban abortion in the state of Ohio) provides no provision to save the life of the mother. That is false. I have read H.B. 228, and page 101, lines 3095 through 3106 address that issue. The bill states that no doctor will be held liable when trying to save the life of the pregnant mother, if in the process her pregnancy is terminated.
I would also like to respond to the writer's comment about reducing the need for abortion by making sure birth control is available to everyone. About 1 million teens become pregnant each year and 3 million teens each year contract a sexually transmitted disease. The Alan Guttmacher Institute, in surveying teens, reported that teens are more likely to practice contraception sporadically or not at all -- which tells us that even when they possess contraceptives, they are not likely to use them. In another poll done by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, two thirds of all sexually experienced teens wish they had waited to have sex. Perhaps instead of sending our youth a mixed message, we should be helping them to understand that abstinence will prevent sexually transmitted disease, pregnancy and abortion.
Forty-five million unborn children who were never given a chance to voice their opinion on whether they wanted to live or die because their place of residence happened to be inside their mother, have lost their lives to abortion on demand over the last 33 years, yet the writer calls those of us who would like to see and end to abortion, "right-wing extremists" who are in the minority. In a poll taken by Zogby International for the Buffalo News, 61 percent of those polled said abortion should never be permitted, or permitted only in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother (all of which account for only 4 percent of all abortions). It would seem to me that we "right-wing extremists" may actually be in the majority. And we will also send a message to our politicians that we are in favor of restoring legal protection for our unborn children.
SALLY DUBINSKY
Youngstown
Patients have right to know
EDITOR:
Reading the June 12 article, "The Talk -- Doctors finally learning how to deliver bad news," brought back memories of how my sister was informed of her "bad news."
It has been a year since my sister passed away and she is missed immensely by all whose lives she touched. But I'll never forget how our situation was handled. Neither her family doctor or oncologist wanted to be the bearer of bad news. My sister was the best person you would ever want to know, a caring and loving person. A wonderful mother and a great wife. Always putting others before herself. And to not be given the respect she so deserved from her doctors really disturbs me.
Finally a week before she passed away, and only because our sister-in-law called her family doctor to say he needed to tell her, she was told. I feel that both doctors knew long before that, but neither wanted to take responsibility to give her the bad news.
My sister had been very restless and uncomfortable, but as soon as she was told, she became very calm and peaceful. Her only response after being told was that she "was going to a better place and she would be with her dad." No tears. No anger. Just peace.
So, thank you for printing that article. Maybe other doctors can give their dying patients the respect they deserve.
NORMA McDONNELL
East Palestine